Fire and Ice

One minute he was in New York City, talking with Al and then the familiar feeling that started deep inside of him began. He knew he was leaping again. Al had told him once that sometimes it was days or weeks between leaps. That amazed him. To him it seemed only seconds. He leaped out of Patrick Monahan’s body feeling good. Patrick had another chance to make a life for his son. This was what it was all about, the saving of lives, putting right something that had gone wrong. Sometimes he wished he could go home but most of the time he didn’t think about that anymore. This was his life now and he accepted that. As long as he had Al with him, he knew he could continue doing this.

There was a new sensation in his body and the world around him started to have shapes and forms….or did it. This was very odd. Usually he could make out the environment he was leaping into. All he was seeing was white and as sensation crept into his consciousness the only thing he was feeling was a deep and biting cold. He realized that he was standing outside and all around him was the white of a blizzard raging. He knew this was a blizzard. He had been in a couple growing up in Indiana. He looked around and everywhere he looked was white, he could see no shapes or buildings or people. He noted that he was dressed in a parka, boots, a warm hat and mittens. So he came out here purposely, he thought. He took a few steps in one direction but the white continued. He looked up at the snow blowing around him and muttered.

“Ohh boy!!”

He was still standing there trying to decide which direction to go in when he heard a noise directly in front on him. It sounded like cattle. Cautiously he moved in the direction of the sound. The wind howled around him and even the cold weather gear that he had on was not enough to block this biting and hurting cold. He had never felt anything this cold in his life. He wondered where he was……Siberia, Alaska, the North Pole. Well there probably weren’t any cattle at the North Pole. He thought with a grim humor. Finally he could make out the shape of a barn. He walked quicker now and entered the relative warmth of the barn. The wind was blocked and the body heat of the cattle made it warmer in here. He shut the door and leaned up against it in relief. He looked around. These weren’t dairy cattle. He searched his memory for a minute. These were Hereford cattle, white faces and red square bodies. He didn’t know much about beef cattle but they looked purebred.

He closed his eyes for a second, wishing that Al would arrive soon and let him know what he was doing here. There was always a delay while Ziggy tracked him down so it would be a little while before Al would appear. As he was trying to decide whether to wait the storm out in the barn or try to find the house, he heard a bellow of pain in the last stall. He hurried down the length of the barn and looked in the stall. There was a cow lying on her side, obviously in the midst of labor that was not going well. Usually when a cow gives birth, she remains on her feet. This must be why whomever he had leapt into was coming to the barn. Thank goodness this was not something he was unfamiliar with. He opened the gate and went over to the cow. He squatted down and gently patted the side of her neck and muttered gently.

“It’s ok, girl. I’m going to help you.”

He wasn’t sure how long she had labored but the fact that she was down meant there was something wrong. Sam ripped his jacket off and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. He positioned himself on his stomach and inserted his arm into the birth canal. About half way up he felt the nose of the calf, moving his hand slowly around the calf’s head, he noted that there was no legs in the canal. Not a good sign, the front legs should be the first thing coming down the birth canal. If he didn’t act quickly this calf would not make it. Calling on knowledge that he had half forgotten, he used all his strength and pushed the calf back out of the birth canal in the uterus. He stopped a moment as the cow had another contraction and his arm was squeezed to the point of cutting off the circulation. Finally the contraction eased and he felt around for the legs of the calf. There!! He found them. Sweating and using every bit of strength that he had left…. he straightened the front legs and pulled them into the birth canal, making sure the head followed. This took a bit of maneuvering and he suffered thru 2 more contractions. Finally moving his arm down he grabbed the legs and on the next contraction he guided the calf out into the cold air of the barn. He ripped open the placenta and blew on the calf’s nose while he vigorously massaged the chest with his hand. The calf bawled in protest and snorted a couple of times, clearing his nostrils of fluid. The cow, which had been quiet, heard her calf bawling and raised her head and uttered a low and gentle moo. Sam quickly moved out of the way in anticipation of her getting up. He got out of the way just as she heaved herself up onto her chest and struggled to her feet.

Sam grabbed a handful of straw and wiped his arm off, pulled down the sleeve of his shirt and got his jacket and gloves back on. The barn was warmer than the outside but still plenty cold. As he was doing that he watched the cow, cleaning off her new arrival with much pride. The newborn was starting to struggle to his feet. Sam smiled as he watched him fall awkwardly a couple of times before he managed to stand splay legged and shaky. The calf stood there for a few seconds and then instinct took over and he wobbled over to his mother and started searching until he found the teat and started sucking. The cow stood perfectly still during this operation and looked back at him as he started nursing. Then she bent her head to the hay on the side of the stall and grabbed a mouth full and started chewing contentedly.

Suddenly the side door of the barn was opened and a bundled figure swept in with a blast of wind and snow. Sam was unable to tell if the figure was a male or female. He bent to give the cow more hay as the door was closed.

“Alan?” The voice was male.

This was always the part that Sam hated. Now he had to pretend to carry on a normal conversation until he figured out who he was and who was talking with him. He safely could assume that his name was Alan, though. So he answered.

“Over here.”

“How’s she doing?” The voice was Midwestern.

“I just delivered the calf. It’s healthy bull calf. I had to turn him around but think he is going to be just fine.” He was on safe ground here.

“Great, did you medicate and tag him?” This was getting tougher.

“Not yet, just got him delivered.” Which really wasn’t a lie.

“I’ll go get the kit.” His visitor moved off to a door at the end of the barn. That was probably the supply room.

Just then Sam heard a noise behind him and he turned around and there was Al. Dressed in a Hawaiian short-sleeved shirt and white shorts he looked very out of place in this frigid environment. He held the inevitable cigar and hand held computer hand link and he stared at Sam.

“Boy, you look cold, Sam!”

Sam glared at him for a few seconds, then smiled at him.

“Al, am I glad to see you. What am I doing here? Who am I?” Sam spoke in a low voice. His visitor would be out of the storage room in a minute.

Al punched button on the link and said. “Your name is Alan Dahl. It is February, 20, 1978.” He continued punching buttons and when nothing more came up, he hit the side of the link with the heel of his hand. The terminal squawked as if in protest. Sam never understood why Al did that; he figured that it was just Al’s bit of release for his frustration with computers. Usually nothing happened but occasionally he was rewarded with new information.

“Oh and you are a hired hand for Robert Heinrich on his cattle ranch. He is known as Bobby to everyone.” Al studied the hand link again.

Sam felt more comfortable already; at least he was pretty sure he knew the name of the man in the storage room.

“Where am I?” He tried to peer over Al’s shoulder to see the computer terminal but that was really hard to do.

“Uhh…. it looks like you are in the middle of North Dakota. Wow, Sam, I have heard it is really c-c-c-cold up there!!” Al regarded him with a mixture of pity and admiration.

All this was information that he needed and now he needed to know the most important thing.

“What am I doing here?” He asked eagerly.

”Ziggy isn’t sure yet.” Came the reply that he didn’t really want to hear.

“Well, I don’t think it was to save that calf otherwise I would have leaped by now.” He commented to Al.

“Yeah I saw that little thing that you did down there.” Al grimaced.

“You saw that…I didn’t see you or hear you there.” Sam was surprised usually he heard Al arrive or saw him.

Al looked embarrassed. “Well, I actually didn’t stay too long. I started feeling a little dizzy. It was really disGUSting, Sam!” Al looked over at the newborn calf and added

“He is a cute little guy though, isn’t he?”

Sam smiled as he looked over at the calf. New life never failed to thrill him. It always seemed like a miracle. Life always seemed like a miracle. That is what made it so difficult for him to deal with when things went so wrong.

Just then Bobby came out of the supply room with a plastic box that looked like it had seen some better days. It was battered and scuffed and stained with dirt. He walked over to the stall with the cow and calf in it, opened the gate and walked in. He opened the box and got out a large pill and a long plastic tube. He inserted the pill in the end of the tube and moved over to the calf. Straddling the little guy, he opened its mouth and pushed the pill down the back of his throat. The calf bawled in fright and the cow moved around quick to confront the man. Sam stepped in the stall and put himself between Bobby and the cow distracting her so that Bobby could finish medicating the new arrival. Bobby then quickly removed a tag from the box, inserted it into a pliers looking tool and attached it to the calf’s ear. Then he quickly released the calf who immediately ran to his mother. She sniffed him and realizing that he was ok, returned to her hay.

Bobby then turned to Sam and said. “How are the rest of cows in here?”

“Uh…. haven’t had a chance to check them yet.”

“Well let’s get them checked and get back to the house where it is warm.” He slapped Sam on the back as he moved off.

Sam looked at Al and gave him a questioning look. Then he started moving toward the stalls on the opposite side of the barn that Bobby was checking.

Al followed Sam and talked as he was consulted the computer link.

“Alan is a Vietnam veteran. Looks like you…he. was wounded over there. He recovered but still has emotional problems. He has not been able to hold a job for any length of time since he has been back. Bobby gave him a job mostly because he owed Alan’s father a favor.”

Sam stopped in front of a stall and whispered to Al. “I am here to make sure he keeps this job?”

Al consulted with Ziggy again and shook his head. “ Ziggy thinks there is an 80% probability that you are here to save Alan from ruining his life. Bobby’s loses most of his cattle and then the ranch and blames it on Alan. Alan leaves North Dakota and ends up on the streets in Chicago, where he dies during the winter of 1984.”

Sam looked thoughtful for a moment. “What happens that Bobby blames him for?”

“ Ziggy doesn’t have that data right now.” Al puffed on his cigar while he watched Sam.

“I need more information, Al.” Sam felt a little overwhelmed as he sometimes did with the responsibility of having Alan Dahl life in his hands.

“Did you say something, Alan?” Bobby turned around to face Sam again.

“Uhh…no…. just talking to the cow, she looks a little restless.” He stammered and then recovered. “I think she is close, I’ll come back and check her in a couple of hours.”

Bobby nodded. “Everything looks ok, over here. Why don’t you give them all some water and come back to the house. Laura has made some fresh caramel rolls to go with the coffee.”

Sam nodded. It did sound good. He realized he was hungry. Bobby headed toward the door and opened it and a fresh blast of snow and wind drove into the barn. He closed the door a second and turned back to Sam.

“Oh and Alan, this time use that rope we rigged up last night to get you back to the house or I will be looking for you in the snowdrifts when this storm is done.”

Sam gave him a little wave and a nod and Bobby went back out into the storm.

He turned back to Al expectantly. Al just shrugged his shoulders and dropped the computer link to his side. “I’ve got nothing else right now, Sam.”

Sam ran his hand thru his hair. “Well get something for me as quick as you can. Tell Ziggy I need something, anything soon if I am going to prevent whatever happened to this ranch.”

“Be careful out there, Sam. That storm looks like a killer!” Al said with concern. He worried about Sam a lot no matter how relaxed he acted around him. It was always a very stressful time for him when they knew Sam had leaped and they were trying to track him down. Al was always worried that this would be the time that they wouldn’t find him.

Sam finished watering the cows and headed out the door again. The storm seemed worse and the wind took his breath away. He covered his nose and mouth with the top of the jacket. It took him a moment to find the rope that Bobby had mentioned but he finally found it attached to a hook beside the door. He used it as a guide but it seemed to take a long time to get to the safety of the house. The snowdrifts were thigh deep and the going was very hard. He glanced back once and was shocked to see that the footprints that he had just made had disappeared as the snow drifted in over them.

Finally he found the house and stood on the porch for a second wondering if he should knock or just go in. He settled for knocking a couple of times while he opened the door. The warmth and light of the house made it a safe island in the middle of this storm. He inhaled appreciatively; the smell of rolls out of the oven was making his mouth water. He pulled off the winter gear in the entryway, washed up in a sink out there and stepped into the kitchen. A small blonde woman stood at the counter and she turned around and smiled at him as he walked in uncertainly. She had blue eyes and her blonde hair was worn short and tucked behind her ears. Her features were pleasant but not delicate. Her smile was warm and comfortable. A typical farm wife, she wore no makeup and was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt.

“Come in and sit down, Alan. Bobby will be right in. I know how much you love caramel rolls so I told him to make sure you got some when they were hot out of the oven.” She gestured to a seat and he walked over and sat down. She placed a cup of coffee and a plate with a huge caramel roll on it in front of him. She pushed the milk and sugar over to him and then walked back to the counter and continued to work.

He put milk in his coffee but no sugar and as he started working on the caramel roll, he could hear a TV going in the other room. Some news program, the Today show, maybe was on. He could hear voices there too. They sounded young; obviously Bobby and Laura had children. He was taking another bite of his caramel roll when a girl of about 11 entered the kitchen. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She had her mother’s smile and eyes. She moved quickly as if there was a lot of energy that was pent up inside her.

“Hi, Alan.” She said shyly. “Can you look at Mittens for me. I think she hurt her foot.”

Before Sam could answer, Laura turned from the counter and exclaimed. “Robin, you don’t have that cat in the house, do you? You know your father is going to raise the roof if he finds out!”

“Ah, Mom, it is cold out there and she hurt her foot. I need Alan to look at her for me, please don’t tell Daddy yet.” She pleaded with her mother, ran over to her and hugged her around the waist. Laura stroked her head and laughed.

“Ok, but she goes back out to the shed after Alan has looked at her.” She met Sam’s eyes over the top of her daughter’s head.

Robin turned toward Sam and said. “Can you look at her now, Alan?”

Sam nodded and said. “Let me finish this caramel roll and then I will look at her.”

Robin pulled up a chair and sat down with her chin in her hands watching him eat. Sam almost laughed at her impatience but sensed that would not have been the right thing to do with this little girl. So he sat and tried to make small talk with her and her mother.

Just then a boy of about 14 strolled into the kitchen, saw Sam sitting at the table and muttered loudly. “Oh the retard is here!”

“DAVID!!” Laura turned to her son and glared at him. David ignored her and kept walking to the counter where the caramel rolls sat. He grabbed one and took a big bite out of it and walked back into the living room. Laura watched him go and turned to Sam embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Alan.”

There was obviously a history between Alan and David and he wondered if that had anything to do with why he was here. He smiled at Laura and said.

“It’s ok, Laura.”

He picked up the empty plate and the coffee cup, got up and walked over to the sink. He was starting to rinse them out when Laura took them out of his hands.

He felt a tuck at his arm and looked down, Robin was pulling at him. “C’mon, Alan!” He let her pull him to the living room. He looked around; it was warm, comfortable and homey just like the kitchen. He felt a pang of homesickness. He was reminded of his boyhood home in Indiana.

Robin ran over to the chair in the corner and picked up a half grown black kitten with white paws and brought her to him.

“See, her paw is hurt. What’s wrong with it, Alan?” Robin waited impatiently for him to answer. Sam took the kitten and sat down on the chair nearest him and examined its feet. The kitten wiggled in protest and yowled when he touched her right front paw. He looked closer and realized that there was a cut on one of the pads of the foot. He breathed a little sigh of relief. He hadn’t sure how he was going to figure out what was wrong with the kitten, since he had no veterinary training.

“She has a cut on her pad right here, see?” He said to Robin who looked where he was pointing.

“Should I go over to your place and get your kit with the medicine in it?” Robin asked eagerly.

Sam was relieved, he had wondered where the hired hand stayed but it looked like he had a place of his own. Now he just needed to figure out where it was.

“Well you can go with me if your mom says it is ok to go out in this storm.” He didn’t have a clue where he lived and with the storm raging he wasn’t sure it would be that easy to find. It seemed like an easy thing to have Robin go with him to show him the way.

Robin raced into the kitchen to find her mother. Sam started to follow her but David walked back into the room and glared at him. He threw himself down on the couch and ignored Sam. Sam started to say something to the boy but then stopped himself, he needed more time to figure out what was going on around here. He turned and walked back into the kitchen thinking this was getting a little complicated.

As he walked into the kitchen, Laura greeted him with an irritated look and said angrily.

“Alan, you know she just got over bronchitis. Why would you agree to take her out in this storm?”

Sam thought to himself, that was just plain stupid. It seemed as if he was not very popular in this house right now. He muttered.

“Sorry.”

Laura sighed in irritation and said to her daughter.

“Alan can go get the kit himself. You will wait right here. You don’t need to miss anymore school than you already have.”

“Mom,” She wailed. “It isn’t that far.” She pointed out the window to the vague outline of a trailer house that was across from what looked like a driveway from the main house.

Sam moved toward the entryway and said to Robin. “Your mother is right. You stay here, I will be right back.” He pulled on his boots, jackets and gloves and headed out into the blinding storm again. It took him some time to make his way thru the drifts to the mobile home. He pulled open the door and went into the trailer. He stopped and looked around as he slowly took off his boots in the entryway. There was a small kitchen that looked like it was hardly used. Dirty dishes were in the sink but mostly cups and glasses. The living room had a cheap and broken down couch and a chair that was ripped. There was a worn light orange shag rug on the floor and a tiny TV on a metal TV tray. Books and magazines were on the floor and the furniture. They all seemed to be veterinary books and magazines. He looked around trying to find the medication kit that Robin talked about. He walked into the bathroom and as he passed the mirror, he stopped and looked. The image staring back at him was a thin man probably in his early 30s. Some graying was showing thru the sandy blonde in his longish sideburns. The eyes were blue and there was a prominent scar on his neck that ran up into his cheek. The scar was a red/purple color and puckered as if it had been badly stitched. As he drew his hand up to touch the scar, Al spoke and he jumped.

“Al, you could give me some warning.” He complained as he faced him.

“What?? I just said, nice place!” He declared innocently. “Anyway, this place is a dump.” He brought the terminal up and started punching buttons.

“Does Ziggy know anything more about why I am here?” Sam was starting to get a really bad feeling about this whole leap. It just didn’t feel right in here.

“There isn’t a whole lot. Bobby Heinrich went bankrupt after a fire destroyed both of his cattle barns. He was in the middle of calving and most of the cows and calves were inside because of a cold spell and a lot of storms. There is no information regarding how the fire started. His son David was killed in the fire too and it looks like Bobby just gave up after that.”

“David was killed?” Sam felt a knot in his stomach. “When was the fire?”

Al consulted Ziggy again and looked at Sam. “February 25th. 5 days from now.”

Sam nodded a little relieved. He had a couple of days to get a feel for the situation. He smiled a little and said.

“Well it will be nice to spend a little time on a farm again.” He glanced out the window at the raging storm. “…I guess.”

“Have you had a chance to talk with Alan in the waiting room?” Sam was hoping that if Alan wasn’t too traumatized he could give them some information. He was especially curious about the problem with David.

Al looked a little uncomfortable. “He is a little hard to talk with, Sam. The injury that he had in Vietnam was to his head. You saw the scar. He seems very intelligent but has a hard time expressing himself. And he is very confused with finding himself in the Waiting Room so that is making it harder. Dr. Beeks is working with him.”

Sam sighed. He just had to be a little more patient. He glanced around the room, looking for the med kit. There were things all over the bathroom counter and the linen closet was open but the towels were all on the floor looking a little dirty. He walked into the bedroom and the same disarray met his eyes. But he saw a tackle box on the dresser and walked over to it and opened it. This was the med kit. There were bandages, disinfectants, antibiotics and various tools in there. He closed and latched it, picked it up and walked back to the living room. Al was there, puffing on his cigar and studying the terminal. He looked up at Sam.

“Ziggy needs to do more research, I am just going to go and help input the data.” He didn’t quite meet Sam’s eyes. Sam looked at him suspiciously.

“Hot date with Tina?”

Al grinned and the door opened and he stepped thru and disappeared. Sam watched him go grinning and shaking his head. Some things never changed and that was a good thing.

He got his boots back on and headed back to the main house.

The storm still raged outside. It had been a long day but he was back inside the trailer house now. He busied himself by tidying up the place. He wasn’t a great housekeeper but he could not live in this mess that Alan lived in. As he worked he thought about the last few hours. He thought he was beginning to understand the animosity between David and Alan. The 3 of them had worked in the barn most of the afternoon, getting the livestock fed and watered.

Bobby seemed to be extremely critical of anything that David tried to do. Sam got the feeling that there was nothing that David could do that would be right in Bobby’s eyes. Bobby constantly held up Alan up as an example of how to do things and Sam could see the resentment in the boy’s eyes when he looked at him. Sam tried to make sure that Bobby was in other parts of the barn when David was doing a chore and Sam also made a point to chat with the boy although he often got no response, at least David stopped hurling insults at him.

There was a new calf that afternoon and although the cow needed no help, the 3 of them watched the birth to be sure that things went smoothly. Bobby was ecstatic when the calf turned out to be a bull calf. It was obvious that this calf was the calf that Bobby had been waiting for all season. The champion bull and this particular cow was a match that Bobby hoped would put his little operation on the map. He stood by the pen for a long time just looking at the little newborn with a smile on his face. He looked at Sam and said.

“He is everything that I hoped he would be. In a couple of years we are going to have some high quality calves around here. Then you will see people seeking us out to buy our stock. I think this little guy is going to the Winter Show next year.”

Sam nodded in agreement and then said. “You have a lot of good stock here, Bobby.”

Bobby looked around the barn and said. “They are good quality cattle but this little guy and his mama and daddy are going to give us show stock and then you will see this farm blossom.”

He moved off to the other end of the barn to bring water to the new mother. David came out of the supply room with the box for medication and came over to the stall. Sam moved aside and opened the stall gate so the boy could go in. David looked at Sam in surprise and then moved into the stall. Sam stood and watched as he medicated the calf effortlessly and got the tag ready to go in the ear. Just as he was getting ready to tag the calf, Bobby came back to the stall.

“DAVID!!!” He yelled.

David looked up startled, the calf jumped away from him and the cow moved in between David and her baby.

Bobby continued as he opened the door to the stall and rushed in grabbing the tag tool from the boy.

“Don’t you know how to tag an ear yet? If you put it where you were going to, it will rip and we will have a torn ear. What is the matter with you?"

Then he turned on Alan. “ How could you let him do that, Alan? He could have ruined that calf’s ear!”

Sam said quietly to Bobby. “He was doing ok, Bobby…”

He got no further as David stormed out of the stall and went back into the supply room. Bobby watched him go and shook his head in frustration.

“I don’t know what I am going to do with that boy. All he cares about is being with his friends and that awful stuff that he calls music.”

Sam struggled with himself to say the right thing. He had never known anything but love and acceptance from his own father and this situation was painful to watch.

“ He seems like a normal kid to me. His friends are important to him but so are you.”

Bobby looked at Sam oddly. “I doubt that. Alan, your speech is much better today. Are you doing those exercises the doctor gave you?”

Sam was surprised by Bobby observation. He was finding it hard to articulate what he wanted to say. It came as a surprise to him. He vaguely remembered having an experience in the past where he fused as it were with the person that he had leaped into. He could only remember a rifle and a building. Al wouldn’t talk about it much and Sam didn’t think about it often but now he wondered if he was fusing with Alan.

David had remained on the opposite end of the barn for the rest of the afternoon. Sam watched him trying to think of what he could do to bring father and son together. David was thin and small for his age. He had his mother’s eyes and his fathers square jaw line and Sam thought he would be a very handsome young man in a year or two. He sighed, if he could prevent upcoming events that is.

The house was cleaned and Sam finally went into the living room and sat on the couch. Something was odd. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but as he sat there he realized that the wind for the first time since he had leaped in here was not the loudest thing that he could hear. He got up and went to the window and looked out. The snow had stopped and the wind although decreased was still blowing snow into drifts across the yard. Sam stood there for a while watching as natures fury became a mild complaint.

The phone rang and he jumped a little. He picked it up on the second ring. It was Bobby.

“Can you take the 4am barn check as well as your midnight one? David was supposed to do it but he says he has a sore throat. I would do it but I was up all last night out there and it would be nice to get some sleep tonight.”

“Sure.” Sam said. They talked a couple of minutes more and then hung up.

Sam decided to get some sleep while he could. It might be a long night.

The alarm buzzed, Sam groaned and opened his eyes to darkness. He found and hit the shut off button for the alarm and sat up in confusion. It took him a minute to remember where he was and why he was getting up at 4am.

He got up and got dressed and walked out the door. The midnight round had been quick and easy. There were a couple of cows that were close to calving but no new newborns to contend with. He has just given them water and left.

As he walked toward the barn, he was amazed at how calm it was right now. The wind had died completely and there was a stillness that made him feel like he was the only person on earth. A glint of color made him raise his eyes to the sky. He gasped in amazement. Overhead were rippling shimmering colors of blue, yellow and green. They ebbed and flowed like waves on a beach. He stood mesmerized watching the Aurora do it’s dance on the night sky. Finally the deep cold penetrated his boots and his mittens and he moved on reluctantly toward the barn. His mind was still on the vision that he had just witnessed as he walked into the dark of the barn. He started to turn on the flashlight to find the light switch when he was shoved hard from behind. He lost his balance and fell, the flashlight skittering into a stall beyond his reach. He struggled to his feet and started to follow the intruder but he was too late. All he saw was boot prints in the snow. He went back found the light switch in the dark and retrieved the flashlight and went back outside. He tried to follow the boot prints but they led to the shelterbelt across from the barn and the snow was waist deep there. He finally gave up and went back into the barn. He took the precaution of locking the door after he got in there. Sam felt sure that this was related to the fire the he knew would happen in the next few days. It made him uneasy.

He went into the supply room to see if anything had been taken or moved. Finding nothing out of place he moved into the main area of the barn. Everything seemed ok out here too with the exception of a cow in the back who bellowed out every minute or so. He continued down the row of stalls and noticed that the cow that he had noticed at midnight had given birth. He got the med box and went in and checked the calf over. A heifer this time and perfect. Bobby would be pleased. He carried the med box with him as he continued to the end of the barn.

The cow that had been bellowing was in the stall by herself. Sam remembered this stall; this cow had delivered the calf that Bobby was so pleased with yesterday. But where was the calf? The stall was securely latched. He checked the other stalls and finding no calf, opened the back door leading to the feedlot. There in a snow bank just beside the door was the calf. Sam didn’t need to get any closer to know that he was dead but he walked over to the calf and knelt down beside it and put his hand on the still baby. He felt the tears well, he always felt this way when any life was wasted.

“I’m sorry, fella.” he muttered as he got up and walked back into the barn. He wondered if he should wake Bobby up with the news. He decided that a few hours more wouldn’t make a difference. A decision that he would regret.

A hard pounding of a fist on his door and his name being called over and over, awakened him “ALAN!!!”

He leapt out of bed and struggled into his jeans and shirt as he hurried to the door. He opened the door as he was zipping up his jeans and as Bobby walked in, started buttoning his shirt as he looked questioningly at him.

“What the hell happened out there last night, Alan? That calf is dead.” His anger trailed off into sadness as he finished up. He sat down on the couch and stared at Sam.

“I’m sorry, Bobby. I was hoping I would be able to tell you before you went to the barn. I didn’t see the point in waking you up at 4 when I discovered him” Sam paused for a second and then continued. “There was someone in the barn when I went in there. He pushed me and then ran off to the shelterbelt. I tried to follow but he was too far ahead of me and the snow got too deep.”

Sam could tell that Bobby didn’t believe him. He just stared at him incredulously.

“Are you telling me that someone did this deliberately to that calf?” He got up and paced into the kitchen.

Sam watched him for a minute and said. “Did you check that calf? Someone killed him, Bobby. It was not an accident and the calf was not sick.”

“N-no, I just assumed that you put him out there after you found him. “ He seemed stunned. He stopped pacing for a moment and then he moved toward the door.

“I want to see those footprints that you saw.” Sam followed him and they went out into the sunny cold morning. The first breath that Sam took into his lungs was so cold that it made him cough a little. He smiled to himself…you would think he would be use to it by now. He was outside most of last night.

As they walked to the barn, Sam realized with a sinking heart that Bobby had been out early for a reason. He had done a lot of snow removal. There was a path cleared all the way to the barn. As they approached the barn, Sam saw that the boot prints had been removed also.

Bobby stopped and looked back at Sam. “Where?”

Sam shook his head slightly. “They’re gone.” He said dully. “They led across there and into the shelter belt where you put the snow.” He continued pointing where he had seen them.

Bobby shook his head in disbelief. “That’s pretty convenient.” He said sarcastically. He stood and looked toward the shelterbelt for a moment and then gave Sam a look of disgust and turned and walked into the barn. Sam sighed and followed him in.

They completed the chores and removed the dead calf without speaking much. It was strained between them and Sam wasn’t sure what he could say at this point that would make things better, so he concentrated on the chores.

Bobby left the barn a little ahead of Sam and said to him on his way out. “Laura is still expecting you for breakfast.” And with that he was gone. Sam heard the roar of the tractor shifting into gear and then fading as Bobby took it back to the equipment shed.

He finished up and headed for the main house. It was an uncomfortable moment or two when he got into the house but Laura was full of bright chatter about the latest goings on in town. Sam smiled and laughed at her stories, she had a way of making them amusing even if he didn’t know who the people were.

At a lull in the conversation, Sam asked Laura. “How is David feeling this morning? Bobby said he was sick last night.”

Laura looked at Bobby. “David isn’t sick, he went out last night with friends and spent the night with Jonathan Aberle.”

Bobby shrugged. “He asked me to do his 4am barn check because he had a sore throat. What is going on with that boy? Why is he lying to me?” He looked at his wife.

Laura was disturbed. She knew that father and son were having problems and she did her best to act as a buffer for David, but lying to him was another thing. She got up and moved to clearing the table. She met her husband’s eyes. “I have no idea, Bobby. I will have a talk with him.”

Bobby shoved himself away from the table angrily. “Never mind…I’ll talk with him myself.” And he left the room.

Laura sat down again and looked at Sam. “I don’t know what to do anymore. Things are getting worse and worse between the two of them. He is so hard on him. He doesn’t seem to remember what it is like to be young. He expects him to do the work of a man. And when he can’t then Bobby says horrible things to him.” She put her head in her hands.

Sam put his hand on her shoulder. “Fathers and sons don’t always get along, Laura, it seems like it is the nature of things Maybe I can have a talk with him though.”

Laura lifted her head. “Oh would you, Alan, he might listen to you. He respects you and admires you. What you went thru in Vietnam…” She trailed off without finishing her thought.

Bobby walked into the room studying a sheet of paper.

“I have to go to town and pick up a few things. Do you need anything, Laura?”

She shook her head. “I have to go in tomorrow morning if the roads are clear to do the grocery shopping.”

Bobby grabbed his coat and looked at Sam. “You may as well come along. We won’t be gone that long and we just checked the cows.”

Sam followed Bobby out the door zipping his jacket as he walked. They climbed into Bobby’s pickup headed down the driveway. The day was bright and the sun glared off the new snow. The road was drifted with snow but it was nothing that the pickup in 4wheel drive couldn’t get thru. They got to the main road without any problems. The main road to town had been plowed and the going was smooth. Sam taking a cue from a silent Bobby spent the trip to town studying the landscape. The land rolled gently to the horizon with belts of trees breaking the monotony of land and sky. At first he could see nothing but sameness of the land but then he started noticing the stark beauty of the landscape. He had never felt this close to the sky before. It almost overwhelmed him.

The center of town was on one street and covered about 2 blocks. Around the center of town were residential homes and Sam noticed that there was a tall grain elevator that sat on the northeast edge of town. A sign as they entered the town proudly proclaimed Northwood Population 650. Bobby pulled into a parking space in front of the café and they both got out.

“I have to get some parts for the tractor at Walcott’s, why don’t you go over to the feed store and get the rest of the stuff on this list and then we can meet at Barb’s for coffee.”

Bobby waved vaguely at the café and moved off down the street. Sam looked at his list and then up and down the street. There it was across the street, Carstad’s Feeds! Sam headed across the street and entered the store. A tall weathered looking man behind the counter greeted him.

“Hi, Alan, come to pick up more supplies for those calves?”

Sam handed the list to the man who was not wearing a nametag and smiled as he nodded. The man didn’t seem surprised that Sam was not speaking much. Sam figured they were probably accustomed to Alan’s problem in town.

Two other men enter the store as Sam stood and waited. They called a cheerful greeting to “Irvin” and walked down the aisle and continued their conversation.

“Those boys need to be stopped. There has been so damage to fences and property to say nothing of the cattle that have gotten out thru those fences. Hell I lost 3 calves last week when they got out and the storm hit.”

The man drew a breath and then continued raising his voice as he spoke. “I know one of those boys was the Abele kid and I think the other one is…” he lowered his voice as he realized that Sam was listening. “ ….the Heinrich boy.” He stopped talking as Sam walked over to him. He faced Sam with a mixture of defiance and embarrassment.

Sam spoke first. “Is there something going on with David that Bobby needs to know about?” He held the man’s eyes waiting for an answer.

The man next to him spoke first. “ Some kids have been chasing around his place with snowmobiles and causing some damage. Tom thinks that 2 of them might be Jonathan Aberle and David.”

“Have you got proof of that, Tom?” Sam’s tone was friendly; he wanted information, not a fight.

He said defiantly. “You can’t miss the way those boys have the stickers all over their helmets. It’s them ok.”

“Why haven’t you called the sheriff?” Sam wondered.

“Oh I have called him and they told me that they would look into it. I really don’t think they are taking me seriously.”

“Well,” said his friend, “if you didn’t call him twice a week they might take you more seriously. He is like the boy who cried wolf.” He finished looking at Sam and laughed.

Tom glared at him. “I don’t call unless I have to, Gunner, you know that.” The two started arguing and Sam realized he wasn’t going to find out anything more. But it did give him something to think about.

He paid for the supplies and left the store. As he walked to the cafe he wondered where David was headed if Tom was right. He decided to talk with the boy before he said anything to Bobby. He didn’t see the sense in bringing this up to Bobby just yet.

Bobby was already there waiting for him drinking a cup of coffee and discussing the latest issues in farming. Sam slide into the seat across from him. The woman behind the counter called to him. “Hi, Alan, the usual?”

Sam nodded wondering what the “usual” was and turned his attention back to the conversation. He spent the next ten minutes listening to the men talk about everything from new equipment to what is the best herbicide to use to what they were planting this year. His “usual” came and it turned out to be lemon meringue pie and a cup of coffee. While he was enjoying the pie, the conversation switched to complaints about the low prices for grains and livestock. There was some anger toward “city folks” who just didn’t understand what farmers when thru to keep them with food on the table. Sam didn’t contribute much to the conversation but it seemed as if no one expected him too. As the café emptied out and got quieter Sam decided to bring up the subject of David.

“Bobby, I think that David is very unhappy.” Sam started. “He seems to be trying to get your attention no matter what he has to do.”

Bobby glared at him for a second and then lowered his head. “I don’t know what to do and I don’t know what to say to him. Everything I do or say makes things worse. Is this the way all fathers and son are? I think he hates me.” He stopped for a second thinking and then continued. “My father was hard on me and I remember hating him sometimes but I didn’t act like David. I have tried everything that I can think of and he just seems to get worse.”

Sam wasn’t sure how to begin without alienating him right away. He decided to jump right in.

“I think you might be expecting to much of him, Bobby. He loves you but he probably feels that he can’t live up to what you expect of him. He does try hard, Bobby. I have watched him. He just needs to feel that he can do something. Once he gains some confidence, you will see a change in him. I am sure of it.”

“What are you, a child psychiatrist?” Bobby almost sneered.

Sam opened him mouth to answer when a voice behind him said. “Well at least a degree in psychiatry!”

Al! Sam turned to look at him in surprise. He had a degree in psychiatry. He didn’t remember that. It was always tough when he didn’t remember the things that he had done.

But he turned back to Bobby. “No, Bobby but it is easier for me to see what is going on since I am not emotionally involved in the situation. Just think about it. It might help and it sure couldn’t make things worse. Just give him something that only he is responsible for and give him some encouragement and support.”

Bobby just glared at him and moved out of the booth grabbing the check on the way. Sam got up and grabbed his coat and headed for the door while Bobby paid the check.

He got out on the street and waited for Al, who just walked thru the wall with the ever-present terminal in his hand.

“Where have you been?” He hissed at Al. It seemed as if this leap was getting more and more complicated. He needed information. “Someone killed a calf of Bobby’s last night. I walked in on him and he shoved me and ran.”

Al looked at Sam with a little concern. “You ok?” Sam nodded.

“Is there any record of David being in trouble?” Al punched at the terminal and shook his head after hitting the side of it a couple of time.

“How about a Jonathan Aberle?” He waited while Al communicated the information back to Goushie. As they waited, Al commented.

“You think David and this Jonathan had something to do with this?” He was quiet a second and then said. “ They really killed one of those calves?”

Sam nodded sadly. “Someone did.” The terminal squawked and Al consulted it.

“It looks like that Aberle kid did some time for destruction of property and petty theft in 1980 and then he left the state and drifted around for a few years and got involved in some drug trafficking in the 90s and is now serving a sentence in Texas.”

Sam nodded again. “Anything new from Alan in the waiting room.”

Al shook his head. “Dr Beeks is working with him but he hasn’t had too much to say that we don’t already know. I don’t think he is going to be much to us.”

Sam was curious about something. “My speech isn’t that good but it doesn’t seem to be getting any worse and Bobby said that my speech was better. Do you think I am fusing with this guy?” He looked at the refection of Alan in the store window.

Al looked away from Sam and stared at the snow without answering.

“Al!”

Al looked back at him and said uncomfortably. “You might be, Sam but you haven’t taken on any of his personality traits so far.”

Sam looked thoughtful. “I remember once…” Al cut him off.

“You don’t need to think about that right now, Sam. Your job here it to keep David from dying and this family together.”

“You’re right.” Then he had a thought. “Get any information you can about any suspicious fires in the area around the mid to late 70s and get back to me.” He finished hurriedly. Bobby was coming out of the café and looking at him rather curiously.

“Talking with yourself, Alan. You seem to be having a pretty animated conversation there.”

Sam silently cursed himself for not being more careful. He gave Bobby an embarrassed grin. “I was just thinking out loud, that’s all?”

“Uh huh.” Was Bobby’s only response as they walked back to the truck. Sam glanced back at Al who was still standing there and gave him a “get going” wave of his hand.

On the way back to the farm, Sam went back to the subject of David and his friend Jonathan.

“They are pretty inseparable, aren’t they?” Sam commented hoping that Bobby would take the subject and run with it, which he did.

“They have been that way since they were in grade school. I worry though because I am not sure that Jonathan is the best person that David could be running around with. He is pretty wild sometimes and I know there are stories around town about Jonathan tearing down fences, stampeding cattle and even setting fires in haystacks. Of course they are just stories but one of these days if it is true he is going to get caught. I worry about David being with him.”

Sam was quiet for a while. He was thinking that what happened to the calf this morning could have been done by David and Jonathan. He really hoped it wasn’t.

It wasn’t until the next afternoon that he had a chance to speak with David without his father being around. They were in the barn feeding and watering the cattle after doing the late afternoon check. The weather had warmed up a little and it was a calm day so Bobby had turned some of the pairs out into the feedlot and was checking the rest of the cattle.

He started the conversation out casually enough, talking about the new calves, the storms that they had been having and then school. The last 2 days, David had started actually having a conversation with Alan without any insults or rudeness. Sam was starting to enjoy spending time with the boy when his father wasn’t around. When Bobby was there, David was tense, quiet and even sullen. Sam got to glimpse the real David in those moments alone with him. He was quiet and unsure of himself but intelligent. Sam found himself enjoying his company.

“David, I am not sure that your father told you but the night the calf was killed, someone attacked me too.” He was aware that David knew that the calf had been killed.

David glanced up at Sam but didn’t quite make eye contract.

“I didn’t know that.” He stammered. Sam gave him a hard glance but was not able to determine if he was telling the truth or not.

“Someone shoved me hard enough that I fell and they got out the door and into the shelter belt before I could get up and follow them. My guess is that they had a snowmobile out there. It was too soon after the storm ended to be able to get anything else out on the road.”

Well that wasn’t necessarily true but he wanted to get David’s reaction. David busied himself in one of the stalls and didn’t respond to Sam.

“You and Jonathan were out on snowmobiles that night weren’t you?”

David straightened up and moved toward Sam. His voice was angry. “Are you accusing us of killing that calf and attacking you? That is such bullshit.”

“I am not accusing you of anything, David. I just wondered what you knew and what you might have seen.”

“We didn’t see anyone and I don’t know anything about that stupid calf!! My dad cares more about these cattle then he does about anything else in the world. I am glad that calf died.”

“You don’t mean that, David.” But Sam was afraid that David really did mean what he had said.

“Yes, I do!!” And he turned and walked out of the barn leaving Sam alone to wonder just how far this boy would go to get his fathers attention.

He had put a cow in the barn that looked very close to calving. Then he watered and fed the cows that were in the barn. After that Sam had the night off for the first time since he had leapt in and he found himself enjoying just sitting in the mobile home and reading some of Alan’s veterinary books. Sam found applications to the University of North Dakota that were all filled out and ready to be mailed out. Pre Vet, Sam thought. He sighed, as always the responsibility for these lives left him feeling a little weighed down. He heard a noise and turned his head to see Al emerging from the wall beside him. He smiled at him and asked.

“Anything new?” He was not really hopeful that anything was going to make this leap easier.

“Hi, Sam.” Al greeted him and he punched buttons on the hand link. “Goushie and I did some checking on suspicious fires in the area. There really isn’t much that we could find. There were a lot of fires in haystacks and field fires during dry spells and other than Bobby’s barn fire there is only one other barn fire around that time and it seems to have been caused from faulty electric wiring. It looks like the authorities only investigated the really obvious cases.”

“What do the reports say about the fire at Bobby’s? Where did it start? How did it start?” Sam figured if he could get that information then he might be able to prevent it from happening all together.

Al consulted his link again. “ The only thing the report says is that it was an electrical fire that started towards the front of the barn. David was found near the door and the cause of death was smoke inhalation.”

Sam was quiet taking in the information. Al watched him closely. He noticed that Sam was still stumbling over words and having a problem actually getting a word out that he was looking for. He was worried. He had talked with Dr Beeks about it at length. They both knew this had happened before and they had almost lost control of the leap and with it Sam. He knew Sam didn’t remember and he would make sure that he didn’t remember. Dr Beeks suggested that Al just give Sam time pick his words and to just encourage him to slow down. That would not be easy for Sam, Al knew. He worried more about the people he was helping then he did about himself.

Sam looked up suddenly realizing that Al was staring at him. “Problem?” He said mildly.

“I talked with Dr Beeks about your speech.” Al admitted to him.

Sam was startled. “Is it worse?” Al shook his head in denial.

“No, not really worse but you aren’t talking as much as you usually do.”

Sam realized that Al was right. It was easier to let everyone else talk and just be passive in most conversations. “ What did she say I could do?” He got up and paced the living room. He stopped and frowned in concentration. Slowly and carefully he said “I need to talk, Al.”

“Dr Beeks said you should just try and think of what you want to say before you speak. If you form the words in your mind first it should be easier to get them out. At least that is what she thinks.”

Beeks had told him that if she could see or hear Sam she might be able to help him concentrate but that was not possible. The only time she had seen Sam was during one leap when he had had shock treatments and it was only as a reassurance for a frightened and confused Sam. And then he couldn’t even hear her. As always it was just going to be him and Sam.

Sam nodded and then said slowly. “Did she say there was anything else that I could do?” Then he smiled broadly at Al.

“That did work better. Now if I can. …Just concentrate on what I say before I have to say it.”

Al smiled. Sam’s speech was slightly halting but the words were clear and he understood them perfectly.

“Try practicing by talking with those cows when you are out in the barn.” He said with a grin.

Sam nodded smiling at him.

They talked for a long time after that. It was hard for them to talk about a lot of things because some things Sam didn’t remember and some things Al was not allowed to tell him but they had been friends for so long that it was easy to just fall back to the old habits of sharing with each other. Sam was grateful for his company and the chance to be himself for a while. It was always hard being or pretending to be another person.

Sam woke up the next morning well rested and actually feeling more positive than he had all week. He had a simple plan for making sure that the fire didn’t happen and that was to spend the night in the barn. He hoped that the weather would be a little warmer but it was only a small price to pay for making sure that everything worked out.

He got up and dressed. Looking at the window in the living room saw that Bobby was heading to the barn. He grabbed a couple of cookies that Laura had sent over for him, got his coat on and headed up to the barn.

The day seemed warmer then it was yesterday and Sam was amazed at how quickly a few degrees above zero could actually feel warm. He didn’t zip his jacket up until he was almost at the barn.

As he was heading to the stalls, Bobby walked in the back door of the barn, carrying a calf. Sam hurried toward him. Bobby spotted him and snapped.

“Get that cow into a pen and lets get this guy into the house.” He continued on toward the other door of the barn.

Sam watched Bobby leave and then turned to find himself face to face with an anxious cow, trying to follow her calf. He opened the nearest stall door and with a little manipulating he got her inside and latched the door. As he turned to leave he realized this empty stall was the one where he had put the cow last evening that he thought was close to giving birth. He moved around and got a look at the number on her ear tag. He realized with a start that this was the same cow. At first he was confused and then the events of the last couple of days came flooding back. Someone was playing a potentially dangerous game.

He followed Bobby to the main house, opened the door to the entry and there was Bobby with the calf on the floor, massaging the chest. Laura walked in with two buckets of steaming water. Robin was dragging an old washtub out of the back room. When she had it positioned, Laura poured the hot water in it. Bobby stuck his hand in the water testing the temperature. Then he took the calf and put him in the water. The calf never moved except to roll his eyes to the back of his head. Bobby turned and glared at Sam.

“Come here and massage him while I help Laura get more hot water.” He stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Sam knelt down and put his hands on the calf’s body. It was ice cold. He started massaging the chest and back. He felt a slow heartbeat and the chest rose and fell slowly with periodic respirations. The calf still did not respond. He heard a noise behind him and turned and saw Robin again bringing in some space heaters and setting them up near the tub.

“Is this ok, Alan?” She asked with a worried expression on her face.

Sam nodded and took his hands off the calf. “ Thanks, Robin, I will plug them in.”

Robin looked indignant. “I can plug them in, Alan, anyway your hands are wet, you might get a shock.” She finished knowingly.

Sam smiled at her and said. “You’re right, Robin.” He watched as she expertly plugged the heaters into the outlets.

He continued to massage the cold infant until Bobby and Laura came back with more hot water. They poured the water into the tub and Sam moved the warmer water up over the calf. Laura disappeared into the kitchen again and Bobby knelt back down by the tub. He didn’t put his hands into the water again but stared at Sam in anger.

“What the hell happened? This calf almost froze to death out there. You know that cow is a first calf heifer.”

Sam was confused at first but realized that Bobby was talking about. When a cow had her first calf, sometimes she was confused and the instincts of mothering were not as strong. They needed to be watched closer in case the calf needed some extra help. Apparently this new mother didn’t have the calf in the protected pole barn where it had a little protection from the cold wind.

Bobby continued. “I found this little guy in a snow bank on the north side of the barn. She hadn’t even cleaned him off and was just standing by him. Didn’t you notice her last night when you did your check?”

Sam nodded. “I did notice and I put her in the second to the last stall when I made my final check at 8 last night.”

Bobby shook his head. “What kind of a game are you playing with me, Alan? There was no cow in that stall when I checked at midnight.”

“ Did you check the cows outside when you went out at midnight?”

Bobby snorted. “Of course I checked the cows in the pole barn. Are you trying to tell me that I am the one to blame for this?”

Sam shook his head and struggled for a moment with words. “ No, Bobby but I did put that cow in the barn.”

Bobby just stared at him. Sam could see the anger there but he thought he was also seeing a little bit of fear. Things were getting a little dangerous around this farm. Animals were in danger, could the humans be far behind.

Finally they both refocused their efforts on the calf. They drained some of the cooler water off and Laura brought out more warm water. After about 3 hours of constant working they were rewarded with the calf starting to move around a little bit. The eyes were opening and closing, the breathing was more regular. Sam was still kneeling on the floor beside the calf when the baby suddenly thrashed around trying to get up. Water went flying out of the tub and all over Sam. He laughed and caught the eager baby around his chest and lifted him out of the tub and moved him over to the towels on the floor. He grabbed two and wrapped the soaking calf up in them and rubbed the excess water off him. He murmured reassurances as he worked. The calf leaned against him and searched with his mouth eventually finding Sam’s fingers. He latched on immediately and started sucking. Sam laughed again and called.

“We have a hungry baby in here.”

Laura and Bobby appeared in the doorway smiling as they watched the calf. Laura disappeared and reappeared in a few seconds with a calf bottle and handed it to Sam who began feeling the eager calf.

After the calf was dried off they took him back to the barn. It was not an easy thing to reacquaint him with his mother as the scent that he was born with was washed off in the water that saved his life. But persistent paid off and the pair finally accepted each other.

Sam spent the rest of the afternoon out in the barn. He knew he probably wouldn’t be finding any clues but he was uncomfortable leaving the livestock to whatever mischief might come next.

He walked to the end of the barn to see how the new arrival was doing. The calf was eagerly having another meal and Sam stood there for a second watching the pair. As he was turning to leave, his foot caught the corner of the gate causing him to stumble. He regained his balance, looked down and saw a shiny object. He bent over and picked it up. It looked like a key chain of some kind. There were no keys on it and he turned it over to see if there was anything else that might give him a clue as who this belonged to. The logo on the other side said SnowCat and it looked fairly new. He stood staring at it and remembering the conversation that he overhead yesterday at the feed store. The Aberle boy had just gotten a new snowmobile, could this be his key chain? He looked closer and saw that the clasp was broken.

“What did you find, Sam?” Al was standing in the stall looking out at him. Sam shrugged and said.

“I am not sure but I just found this in the straw in this stall.” He proceeded to tell Al about the events of the last almost 24 hours.

Al looked at the key chain and punched button on the computer link. It wasn’t long before the information came back to Al.

“Gushie says this is a key chain that was given with new Snowcat snowmobiles in 1977 and 1978. What kind of machine does this kid Aberle have?”

“I’m not sure.” Sam confessed. “The men in the feed store just were mentioning that he had gotten a new snowmobile. And even if it is his keychain, he could have just been in here when David was doing chores. So it really doesn’t mean much.”

“But it does mean that he was in here and by this stall quite recently.” Al stated. “And that is the stall where the cow disappeared out of last night. I think that makes him a pretty strong suspect.”

Sam shook his head. “Not strong enough to go to anyone about it.”

“But strong enough to keep a close eye on him?” Al asked quietly eyeing Sam knowingly.

Sam nodded. “I think I am going to see what those boys are up to tonight.”

Al looked worried and a little doubtful. “How are you going to do that, Sam? You don’t even have a snowmobile yourself.”

Sam smiled a little. “No but I have a pickup and a strong motivation to succeed.”

He moved to the door of the barn saying. “Stay close, Al, I might need some help tonight.”

“Always, Sam.” Al punched buttons, the door opened up and he disappeared.

Sam knew he would be back shortly with the information they needed to track the boys. Without Al, Sam didn’t have much of a chance to find the boys on their snowmobiles.

He went to the main house and walked into the entryway. He knocked on the kitchen door as he was opening it. Laura was in the kitchen preparing supper. Sam sniffed appreciatively; he realized that he was hungry.

She turned and smiled at him. “Hi, Alan, stay for supper?”

He shook his head reluctantly. “Thanks, I just came to talk with Bobby.” And to see if David was still there, he thought grimly.

“He is in his office. Go on in.” She motioned with her head and turned back to her supper preparations.

Sam walked thru the living room toward Bobby’s office. David was sprawled out on the couch with the phone to his ear. Sam smiled at him in greeting. David met his eyes briefly and then turned away. Sam noted there was less hostility than a couple of days ago and most importantly David was still here. He felt like he had gotten a break on that anyway. And he would take any break that he could get.

He spoke briefly with Bobby, giving him an update on the cows in the barn and telling him that he would be going out for the evening.

Bobby laughed. “Getting kind of wild aren’t you, Alan? Out on a Thursday night. Want some company?”

“Uh, no thanks, Bobby, not tonight. But I will be back for the midnight check.” Sam couldn’t think of a good excuse but Bobby just laughed knowingly.

“Well have a good time.” And he turned back to his ledger as Sam walked out of the room.

“Alan.” Robin called to him from her room. Sam slowed his steps as she bounded out to greet him. In her hand was the kitten that he had looked at a couple of days ago.

“See, Alan, her foot is better.” She said triumphantly. Sam picked the kitten up and looked at the offending paw. It really was less red and it didn’t look as tender as it was a couple of days ago. He gave the kitten a quick scratch on the ears and gave it back to Robin.

“Your doing great with her, Robin. Keep up the good work and she will be fine in no time at all.”

He continued thru the kitchen to the door. “Goodbye, Laura.” He called as he opened the door.

“Alan, here take this.” Laura handed him a warm plate of food. “I know you aren’t much of a cook. Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Laura. You do take good care of me.” Laura smiled at him affectionately and turned back to the stove.

Sam ate the meal that Laura had prepared for him as he sat by the window. He wanted to make sure that he could see if David left. He savored the food. It was much better than anything he could have made for himself.

Al arrived back just as he was finishing up his meal.

“Ok, Sam, Goushie has the information that he needs so we can track those boys if they go out tonight.” He greeted Sam.

Sam looked up at him and smiled slightly. “Good. Now we wait.”

But they didn’t wait too long. It was about 7pm when they heard a snowmobile coming into the driveway. 20 minutes later, Sam saw David go to the shed and came out in with his snowmobile. Then the 2 boys set off down the driveway at top speed.

Sam looked at Al. “Here we go.”

He shrugged into his jacket, grabbed him gloves and hat and headed toward Alan’s pickup. The pickup started right up. Sam had started it earlier to be sure that the cold hadn’t gotten to it. He put the truck in gear and headed off down the driveway and in the direction that the boys had gone. He could see them in the ditch ahead of him and he kept about a half mile behind them. They rode along like that for a while and then suddenly the boys veered off across the field. Sam turned down the nearest road going in that direction, praying that they had been plowed. So far, so good, the road was plowed. He continued on. Al joined him then and informed Sam.

“Ziggy has a lock on David, we just need to follow her directions.”

Sam nodded and relaxed a little. “This whole thing could be a waste if all they are going to do is go to a party.”

“You’re right to give it a try though, Sam.” Al reassured him.

“Ziggy says they have stopped about 2 miles from here. Turn left at this road, Sam.” Al pointed to the road they were approaching. Sam made the turn and stopped suddenly. He stared at the road ahead.

“I don’t think this road is plowed.” He put the truck in gear and got out and walked a few feet from the truck. He turned around and got back in the truck and put the truck in reverse.

“We are going to have to find another road. I won’t get thru this one.” He said to Al as he got back on the previous road. They continued down the road with Al reading new information as it came in.

“They’ve stopped now, Sam about 2 miles from here. Looks like an abandoned farmhouse.” Al pointed straight ahead on the road they were on.

Sam tried to decide if they should go up to the farmhouse or if they should just wait until the boys decided to move again.

“Looks like quite a few snowmobiles there. Must be a party.” Al chuckled. “What better place for a teenage party then an abandoned farmhouse.”

Sam struggled with this information. He knew what went on at these abandon farmyards. He had grown up in a farm community. His going in to this party might stop it right now but the kids would only find another place to go or they would come back later. Against his better judgment he decided to just sit and wait to see what happened.

They sat there for more than an hour and nothing happened. Finally he turned to Al and said.

“Al, why don’t you center on David and find out what is going on there.” Al nodded and disappeared.

He reappeared a few minutes later and said. “Sam, you better get in there. David has been drinking a lot. I don’t think it is going to be safe for his to drive that snowmobile home.”

Sam groaned and shook his head. He had been hoping that it wouldn’t come to this. He sighed and started the truck up and put it in gear. It didn’t take long to get to the farmhouse. He parked behind the snowmobiles, got out of the truck and walked to the area in back of the old house. There was a huge bonfire going and there were maybe 20 kids around the fire. Mostly boys. It took him a minute but finally he spotted David sitting on a log near the fire. He was leaned over at an odd angle with his head on his hand. Sam went over and sat beside him ignoring the boys were staring at him. He touched David’s arm and said.

“David, it is time to go home.” David opened his eyes and look blearily at Sam.

“Go ‘way, Alan.” He pulled his arm away from Sam.

Sam put his hand under David’s and stood up. David shrugged Sam hand off and glared at him.

“I told you to go away!” He tried to stand up and lost his balance and sat back down with a thud.

Sam sat down beside him but before he could say anything more he heard a voice behind him.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the retard. Spying on us, retard?” Sam looked up into the blue eyes of a stocky boy a little taller than David. The look in his eyes was defiant and dared Sam to challenge him.

Sam stood up and faced the boy who was most likely Jonathan Aberle. He stared at him for a minute and said. “You are drunk too. I am taking you both home. You can get your sleds tomorrow.”

Jonathan shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.” Sam reached out and put his hand on Jonathan shoulder and the boy pulled away. Sam turned back to David, grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. He let go of his arm as David steadied himself and stood swaying slightly but seemed stable. As he was turning around to see where Jonathan had gone, a blow to the face surprised him. He staggered back and looked into the angry eyes of David’s friend. Jonathan advanced on him with his fists balled.

The scuffle had gotten the notice of the other kids there and they advanced to see what was happening. Jonathan took another swing at Sam, who ducked before he could get hit. He was reluctant to try to hit the boy and just concentrated on staying out of his way.

“Sam, watch out!! He heard Al in back of him. He started to turn toward Al voice but he was grabbed from behind and held. Jonathan advanced on him menacingly and with a smirk on his face, pulled his arm back and hit Sam hard in the stomach. Sam doubled over in pain and sank to his knees trying to draw air into his lungs. The arms holding onto him let go and then he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. He vaguely heard David telling Jonathan to stop and then he knew nothing more.

He came slowly back to consciousness feeling nauseated and a dull pain throughout his head. He heard Al but was unable to respond at first. He groaned and moved slowly.

“Sam……Sam, “

“I’m ok, Al. How long have I been out?” He struggled to a sitting position and leaned against a cooler that someone had left. He looked around and realized that everyone had gone. The bonfire was burning down but was still providing some warmth.

“About 10 minutes. Are you ok, Sam? You look terrible. You should get to a hospital.” Al was very concerned. Being a hologram in Sam’s world was difficult in the best of times but when Sam was in trouble or hurt it was excruciating not being able to be “real” to help him.

Sam put his hand to his head and winced. He slowly stood up and was motionless for a minute while the darkness and the stars in his head cleared. He breathed deeply and opened his eyes and found Al staring at him with worry.

He attempted a smile. “That kid packs a strong punch.”

Al nodded still watching Sam closely.

“Where did they go?” Sam suddenly realized that everyone was gone.

Al bunched buttons on the handheld and said. “It looks like they are heading for the Heinrich place.” He looked at Sam in relief. “That is the best place for them right now.”

Sam moved toward the truck a little unsteadily. He put his hand on the door handle, pulled it open and slide into the truck. He rested his head for a moment again the steering wheel and then got the keys out of his pocket and started the truck. Al appeared beside him consulting the hand link with a look of horror on her face.

“Sam!” Al said looking at him. “Sam, I think you changed things. The fire is tonight and now not only David is killed but Robin is killed too. Alan disappears tonight and no one knows what happened to him.”

Sam put his hand to his aching head and tried to understand what Al was telling him. He looked out the window and noticed that it was starting to snow. He registered the fact deep in his subconscious as he turned to Al.

“The fire is tonight?” He asked in confusion.

Al nodded and held up the hand link so that he could see it. “It starts in a couple of hours, according to Ziggy.”

Sam breathed a little sigh of relief. This wouldn’t be a problem; they weren’t more than 10 miles from the Heinrich place. He put the truck in gear and started down the road. As they continued going down the road, Sam realized the snow was coming down harder. He also noticed that the yard lights in the distance had disappeared. He could still see the road though and kept going. He turned slightly to Al.

“Am I going the right way?” He had a good sense of direction but he had only been here a couple of days and he wanted to be sure.

“You are doing fine, Sam.” Suddenly the truck was rocked with a gust of wind and Sam could see nothing out his window. He hit the brake as the disorientation set in. It was amazing how quickly you could flounder when you had no landmarks. He sat there for a minute staring into the white out. The power of nature was never more evident then when humans were in a situation that they couldn’t control. He eased the truck forward but without landmarks he drifted to the side of the road and the truck was halfway in the ditch before he stopped with a jerk again.

He hit the steering wheel with frustration and turned to Al.

“How far am I from the farm?”

“About 5 miles. You are going to have to make a turn in about 3 miles, then it is 2 miles to the farm.” Al looked out at the snow with a growing sense of unease. How was Sam going to get thru this whiteout and to the farm in time to prevent the fire from happening?

Sam opened the window and leaned out to try and see the edge road as he eased the truck forward. He went on like this for a little while and was making some progress but the temperature had dropped and even with a hat on, his face was starting to feel numb. He pulled his head back in the window and closed it. The truck continued to ease forward with Sam wiping the side window almost continuously to try and see the edge of the road.

They moved along as a snail’s pace for a while. Sam was getting a little blind from looking out into the white nothingness that was this storm. But he knew he had to get back to the farm so he kept pushing forward.

Suddenly he felt a jolt and the truck stopped. He put his foot on the brake and put the truck in reverse. He gave a sigh of relief when the truck moved backward slowly with the tires spinning. When the truck picked up a little speed, he braked, put the truck in gear and got out of the truck. Walking to the front of the truck, he found what he expected, a drift across the road. It appeared to be about a foot deep and he couldn’t see how long it stretched on.

He turned to Al who was beside him. “Can you tell how far it stretches?”

Al moved forward and disappeared from Sam. He wasn’t gone long before he reappeared and it wasn’t until then that Sam realized he was holding his breath.

“It looks like it is about 10 feet long and not too deep yet, Sam. If you back up and get some speed, you should be able to get thru it.”

Sam was doubtful but he realized that he had no other choice. He got back in the truck, backed up and headed for the drift. It was really a matter of aiming and hoping that he would get thru it. He still could see nothing but white. Al stayed in front of him so that he would have something to “aim” at. Thank goodness he is a hologram, Sam thought.

He hit the drift going about 25mph and got thru the first few feet quickly then the truck slowed down and the back of the truck started sliding. He steered into the slide and didn’t take his foot off the accelerator. He thought he wasn’t going to make it thru but just as the speed was getting below 15mph he felt the truck hit the end of the drift and the vehicle accelerated again. He slowed immediately breathing a sigh of relief.

The truck moved on again slowly with Al in front of the truck and Sam following him. The progress was slow but they didn’t run into any other drifts. Finally they came to the turn to the Heinrich farm. Sam breathed a sigh of relief, only a mile and a half to go. He glanced at his watch. Still 45 minutes to go. He was starting to feel very good about this leap. It seemed like he was going to be able to prevent the fire and the deaths.

The wind continued to howl and blow the snow into the air. Sam and Al moved steadily toward the farm. Suddenly Al held up his hand.

“Stop, Sam! There is another drift here. Let me check it out.”

Sam stopped and Al moved out of sight into the storm. Sam glanced at his watch again. They were about ½ mile from the farm and still had about 25 minutes to go. He drummed his hand on the steering wheel. It made him nervous just sitting here when he should be at the farm.

Al reappeared in front of him.

“This one is bigger and I am not sure that you are going to be able to get thru it.” He punched in numbers on the hand link.

Sam looked inquiringly at Al.

He shook his head at Sam. “Nothing has changed.”

Sam glanced at his watch again. “I have to try getting thru the drift, Al.” I have to get to the farm before whatever happens to start the fire begins.”

He got back in the truck and backed up once more. He knew that if he went too fast, he would go off the road and if he went too slowly, he wouldn’t make it thru the drift.

Hitting the accelerator again, he got the speed up to just over 25 and hit the drift with a jolt. The truck slowed almost immediately. He hit the accelerator a little harder but the truck didn’t respond. He hadn’t gone more than 4 or 5 feet and the truck came to a stop. He put the truck into reverse and backed up a few inches put it in drive again and gained a few inches before getting stopped again. He continued rocking the truck back and forth for a couple of minutes until in frustration he gave up.

He got out of the truck and found himself knee deep in snow. He reached into the back of the truck and grabbed the shovel that he knew was back there. He started shoveling out under the truck. The snow was rock hard and the going was slow. After a couple of minutes he got back in the truck and tried again. This time he was rewarded with a gain of about 2 feet.

He got out of the truck again but this time headed toward the farm.

“ Lead the way, Al.”

Al looked at Sam with concern. “Sam, you can’t be serious. It is below zero, you’ll freeze.”

“I don’t have a choice, Al. That fire is going to start in about 20 minutes.” He pulled the collar of the jacket up around his mouth and nose and headed down the road toward the farm.

Al sighed and consulted his computer link as he moved himself ahead of Sam. He couldn’t keep him warm but he could guide him back to the farm as quickly as possible.

Sam struggled thru the drifts. If Al hadn’t been there he would have been completely lost. His head was hurting and his feet were getting numb. He stumbled a couple of times but never fell. He kept his eyes on Al and trudged forward. He stopped thinking and just moved his feet.

“Sam……….Sam.”

Al voice was insistent and Sam heard it thru the fog he was walking in. He had never been so cold or so numb. He just hoped that he would make it back to the farm in time. He stopped and looked at Al.

“Are you still with me, Buddy?” Al asked with some concern.

Sam nodded, too fatigued and weak to actually talk.

“We’re just about there, Sam. You have to keep going.” Al was getting very worried about him. It was well below zero and Sam had been struggling thru the cold, wind and drifts for the last 20 minutes. The blow to the head hadn’t helped either. Al worried that if Sam fell he wouldn’t get up. And he couldn’t help him.

A few more steps and Al turned to Sam. “We are at the driveway, Sam. Not too much further. “

Sam stopped and turned his back to the wind for a minute. It was a relief to not have the wind hitting him in the face. He only paused for minute and when he turned around he said to Al.

“What time is it? Are we going to make it?”

Al checked the computer terminal. “We have to hurry, Sam. The fire is already starting according to Ziggy.”

The driveway was drifted worse than the road was and Sam found himself thigh high in drifts. Unfortunately the driveway was fairly long so the struggle continued. Sam was running on adrenaline now. He needed to get to the barn. That was all that he was focused on. He stumbled up the driveway unmindful of the numbness in his feet and hands, not feeling the pain in his head or the frigid air going into his lungs.

About halfway down the long driveway, the wind suddenly died down and the drifts evened out into just a covering of snow. It took him a minute to realize that the shelterbelts around the farmyard had protected this part of the driveway from the raging storm.

He looked at Al in relief and was able to pick up his speed to a jog. He neared the house and thought quickly that he should alert Bobby to what was happening. He ran up the steps and banged on the door as hard as he could. The house was dark but a light went on upstairs and Sam yelled.

“Bobby, FIRE in the barn.” He wasn’t sure if Bobby heard him or not but he headed toward the barn. There was enough snow in the air that he couldn’t actually see the barn but he thought he could smell smoke.

He could see two snowmobiles sitting outside the barn door. As he approached the barn door, it suddenly opened and a figure shot out and collided with Sam. Sam grabbed onto his shoulders to hold him and to keep himself from falling. Sam caught a glimpse of his face as Jonathan tore out of Sam grasped and shoved him. Sam managed to stay on his feet and he reached for the boy and caught the back of his snowmobile suit. Jonathan turned and swung his right fist at Sam. Sam ducked and countered with a right of his own which landed squarely on Jonathan’s jaw. He fell. Sam didn’t wait to see if he would get up, the smoke was pouring out of the barn. He ripped open the door and stepped inside.

There was smoke a lot of smoke and Sam knew it would only be a few minutes before it would be almost impossible to breathe. He fumbled in his jacket pocket and found a handkerchief that he had slipped into his pocket a couple of days ago when he was trying to treat Robin’s kitten. He covered his mouth and nose with the handkerchief. It would be better if it was wet but it did help keep the smoke out of lungs.

He could see the orange of the flames toward the front of the barn near the supply room. He moved in that direction. He wanted to find David and Robin but he thought if he could get the flames under control, it would be safer. He picked up a water bucket from the floor and made his way over to the faucet in the corner. He lifted the lever and waited. Nothing happened. He jammed the lever down and pulled it back up again….still nothing. He noticed that there was a little water in the bottom of the bucket from the last time they had carried water to the cattle. He dipped his handkerchief in that and continued toward the front of the barn.

“DAVID!” He called as he moved slowly thru the thickening smoke looking for the boy. He knew he had to be here somewhere but the power was gone and the smoke was heavy. He didn’t have a flashlight but could see relatively well by the flames of the fire.

“DAVID!!”

Al appeared beside him and Sam glanced at him frantically. “Where is he, Al? You said he was toward the supply room.”

“Things have changed, Sam. I don’t have any new data other than what I gave you.”

Sam sighed in frustration and then coughed. He was having problems breathing. He needed to get out of here. No, he needed to find the children. He got down on his hands and knees. The air was better down here. He continued on. Al had disappeared and Sam knew he was looking for David and his sister too.

He continued to crawl thru the smoke, stopping and calling David’s name and also Robins. As he got to the second stall from the supply room, he realized that the gate was open and the cow was gone. He felt around with his hand and hit something. It was David!! He shook the boy and when he got no response, he put his ear near the boy’s mouth. He was breathing. He shook him again.

“David, wake up…David. You have to help me. I have to get you outside.”

David groaned and roused slightly. Sam got up, grabbed David’s arm and slung it around his neck and hauled him to his feet. With Sam’s support he started moving. Al appeared in front of him and led him back to the outside door. He flung open the door and he and David fell out the door and collapsed onto the snow both of them gulping in large lung fulls of fresh cold air. It was heaven.

David looked at him and gasped. “I tried to stop him…I told him… “ He stopped and Sam could see that he was crying. He put his arm around the boy.

“It’s ok, David.”

“No, it isn’t.” David grabbed Sam’s coat. “I wanted to hurt my father but…not like this. When I changed my mind, he hit me and started the fire anyway.”

Sam looked up and saw Bobby and Laura come running toward the barn. He pulled out of David grasp.

“Your folks are here, David, they will stay with you. I have to find Robin.”

“Robin isn’t in there Alan.” David looked at him in surprise. Sam didn’t answer, he put the handkerchief against his nose and mouth and headed back into the hell that was the barn.

He tried to think what Robin might have been thinking when she came out here. The flames were spreading quickly toward the back of the barn. He ducked around a fallen beam and headed toward the back of the barn.

He couldn’t breath; he coughed and gasped for air. He wasn’t going to last long in here. Where was Al? He fell to his knees and started crawling. The air was a little better down here. He moved down the aisle in between stalls. He opened stalls as he went, checking in each one. The cows and calves were frantic but were too confused to move out into the aisle.

Suddenly he heard Al calling him. He tried to move toward the sound of his voice but he was getting disoriented. He stopped for a minute listening.

“Al?” He tried to call but he only coughed. He tried to move forward again but his body was not listening to what he was telling it.

“Sam?” Al moved back into Sam’s line of sight. Sam was on his hands and knees leaning up against the side of one of the stalls. He was gasping for breath. Al’s heart leapt into his throat. His worst fear, he couldn’t help Sam. He couldn’t touch him.

“Sam…Sam?” Al got down and looked into Sam’s eyes. Sam gazed back at him with only slight comprehension.

“Sam, Robin is in the second stall down from you.”

Al waited a second. “Sam…can you understand me?”

Sam nodded slightly and moved forward slowly crawling towards the stall.

“Good, Sam, keep moving. You are almost there.” Al moved so he was just ahead of Sam. Every time Sam faltered, Al encouraged him. Finally after what seemed like hours, Sam was in front of the stall.

“Open the gate, Sam!” Sam slumped against the side of the gate coughing.

Finally he reached up and unlatched the gate, and opened it. The sight of Robin lying still in the straw gave him the boost of adrenaline that he needed. He moved in quickly and checked her. She was not breathing. He felt for a pulse. There was one!! He breathed a sigh of relief and bent to open her airway and give her a breath of air. He realized that he was only about 15 feet from the back door. He breathed two more quick breaths into Robin and then picked her up and cradled her against his chest. He moved as quickly as he could toward the door.

The barn was coming down around them and the cows and calves from the stalls that he had opened were coming out. Sam reached the door and opened it. His instinct was to throw himself and Robin into the fresh air but he had enough presence of mind to remember the frantic animals behind him. He stumbled out the open door and moved toward the side of the barn. He gentle put Robin down in the snow and continued to breath for her.

At first it didn’t go well. His lungs were full of smoke and coughed and drew oxygen into his starved lungs and then coughed again. Finally he settled into a rhythm. 1 breath every 5 seconds. He monitored her pulse closely. He had no idea how long he had been breathing for Robin with the cows and calves streaming by when she moved and coughed. He stopped and sat her up. She drew a slow noisy breath in and coughed again.

She would be ok, but the building was now burning brightly. He needed to get her further away from the fire. He picked her up again and moved further out into the feedlot. She continued to gasp and cough. He sat next to her with his arm around her muttering reassurances to her. Finally she looked at him.

“My calf, Alan…is it ok?”

Sam was puzzled. What calf was she talking about? Then it came to him. She had come out to the barn to make sure that the calf that was born in the snow and cold was not hurt. She was trying to save him. He looked down at her and squeezed her shoulder.

“I am not sure, honey. We’ll look for him in a minute. How did you know he was in danger?”

“I heard David and Jonathan arguing in the kitchen. They didn’t know I was there. Jonathan was going to burn the barn down, Alan. I had to get him out of here, so I followed them to the barn but the smoke got too thick and I couldn’t get the gate opened.”

She dissolved into tears and pressed her face against Sam’s coat. He put his arm around her and they sat there for a few minutes catching their breath.

Finally Sam stood up and helped Robin to her feet.

“Let’s go find your folks.”

They slowly made there way to the other side of the burning barn. Just as they spotted Bobby, Laura and David and started toward them, the barn collapsed with a huge crash sending flames and sparks high into the snowy air

As Sam got close enough, he realized that Jonathan was there also. Bobby moved toward them. He grabbed Robin and hugged her close to him. Laura was not far behind.

“Oh my God, baby, I thought I had lost you!” Laura hugged Robin to her frantically.

Bobby turned to Sam. “I tried to get in there but the flames blocked my way. I thought you were dead.”

Bobby looked as though he was going to hug Sam but he settled for grabbing his upper arm and holding onto it.

Sam grinned and coughed again. He looked over where Jonathan was sitting on his snowmobile looking very defeated.

“What are you going to do with him?”

Bobby followed his gaze.

“I called the fire department and they will have the sheriff with them if they can get thru this storm. So we will keep him here with us until they get out here. At least there is no danger of the fire spreading. The wind isn’t reaching us inside this stand of trees.”

He looked out at the feedlot for a second and turned away.

Sam watched him go and then turned to see Al standing beside him smiling.

“Well you did it, Sam” He consulted his hand link. “Jonathan is sent to a juvenile center for a couple of years and he actually turns him life around.”

Sam nodded waiting for him to continue.

“David worked with Bobby as a partner after he finished college and took over the farm when his father retired. Despite all the economic problems they made it a profitable ranch. Robin works as a computer programmer in Minneapolis.”

Al stopped and grinned at Sam.

“Alan went to college at the University of North Dakota and then went on to become a veterinarian. He has a practice in a town not to far away from here.”

Sam just had to ask.

“How many cows or calves did they lose tonight.”

Al grinned again. “Well Robin did a good job of opening those stalls, only 2 cows and a calf didn’t get out.”

Sam was saddened by the loss but at least it hadn’t been as bad as it could have been.

A gust of cold air hit Sam as he felt a familiar tingling deep inside him. He was leaping again. He looked over at Al who gave him a little wave of his hand. Somewhere warm this time, he pleaded as he leaped out of Alan Dahl

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